The present invention relates to a portable support apparatus for equipment, such as a tripod or monopod.
Equipment support apparatus has been used for many years. Typically, equipment support apparatus includes an elevated mounting surface, upon which equipment may be secured, such as a camera, telescope, musical equipment, surveying equipment, antenna, etc. The elevated mounting surface is supported by a plurality of legs, which in the case of a tripod is typically three. Other numbers of legs may likewise be used, such as a single leg monopod, two legs or four or more legs.
Equipment support apparatus, such as tripods, are designed to provide some optimal balance between a set of features. For example, one feature of a tripod is stability, as it is often desirable to insure that shaking or other movement of equipment supported by the tripod is minimized so that, for example, blur does not occur in an image taken by a camera supported on the tripod. Tripods are often used portably, hence, it is often desired to minimize the weight and/or dimensions of the tripod so that it may be carried over great distances. Unfortunately, these stability and weight considerations are often in conflict, i.e. a heavier tripod will provide a high degree of stability but will be more burdensome to carry.
Many existing tripods are both vertically collapsible with radially extendible legs. For example, a tripod may have three leg assemblies, with each leg assembly pivotally connected to an elevated equipment support so that each leg may be pivoted outwards when in use, and inwards when not in use. Also, each leg assembly may have multiple elements that selectively slide axially relative to each other. For example, a multi-stage tripod may have first, second, and third segments for each leg. To adjust the height of the tripod, the first and second leg segments are slidably movable relative to each other and the second and third leg segments are also slidably movable relative to each other. Each pair of legs may be selectively locked and unlocked at different positions. Tripods also may include an adjustable central column to change the height at which equipment is supported by the tripod at a fixed extension of the tripod legs.
A multi-stage tripod is relatively lightweight and stable, with the caveat that the tripod's height and/or footprint are sacrificed for stability rather than weight. For example, by fully pivoting the tripods legs outward, and/or only partially extending the column, the stability of the tripod is improved at the expense of height.
In view of the foregoing discussion, what is desired is an improved tripod portable support apparatus for equipment.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.